Partial Street Closure

A partial street closure uses a semi-diverter to physically close or block one direction of motor vehicle travel into or out of an intersection; it could also involve blocking one direction of a two-way street. Partial street closures at the entrance to a neighborhood or area should consider the traffic flow pattern of the surrounding streets as well. The design of this measure should allow for easy access by bicyclists and all pedestrians.

A partial closure provides better emergency access than a full closure. Since this design also allows motorists to easily violate the prohibitions, police enforcement may be required. If the partial closure only eliminates an entrance to a street, a turnaround is not needed; closing an exit will generally require a turnaround.

Purpose

Partial street closures are traffic management measures that can reduce traffic volumes through preventing turns from an arterial street onto a residential street or restricting access to a street without creating one-way streets.

Considerations

• Do not adversely affect access by service vehicles.
• Analyze whether less restrictive measures would work.
• Analyze whether other local streets will be adversely affected and/or access into or out of the neighborhood would not be adequate.
• Will create out-of-the-way travel for residents and put additional traffic on other streets.
• Consider impact on school bus routes, emergency access, and trash pickup.
• Will not solve speeding issues; speeds may increase on the new one-way street.

Estimated Cost

Depending on the street closure strategy, which could use bollards, islands, or other measures, the costs are likely to vary substantially. Partial street closures usually cost around $37,500, but can cost as low as $10,290 or as high as $41,170. The wide ranges in price for full and partial street closures are related to the strategies used to complete the street closure.